This invention relates generally to consumer electronics, and, more particularly, relates to media rendering devices.
Many consumers have begun storing digital media files such as photos, audio files, video files, and multimedia files on personal computers, laptops, servers, or other computing devices for playback and sharing purposes. These consumers also typically have one or more controllable playback appliances (e.g., TV, Audio Receiver, etc.) in an entertainment environment that are capable of playing traditional media sources (i.e., media information from a VCR, DVD, CD, PVR, etc.). It has become increasingly popular among consumer electronics manufacturers to create devices and systems that enable the playback of digital media files from a consumers computing device on one or more of the consumers controllable playback appliances in the entertainment environment, typically by means of streaming or sending such media content over a wired or wireless network to the appliances via a “media rendering” device which is able to convert received digital information into analog signals or other input signals required by the playback appliances. Media rendering devices can be standalone devices, or can be integrated into any traditional entertainment appliance (i.e., TV, Audio Receiver, VCR, DVD, CD, PVR, etc).
Additionally, wireless control devices such as universal remote controls are widely used by consumers in conjunction with entertainment appliances for command and control purposes. It is also well known to provide a separate docking device (“docking station”) with control devices for charging of batteries. While current universal remote control devices typically lack advanced computing and media rendering capabilities, more advanced control devices have begun to emerge and to incorporate such features. For instance, the HP iPaq rx3xxx series of Pocket PC's is able to function as a wireless control device using onboard software and wireless communication (IR and/or RF) capabilities, and also incorporates media rendering capabilities in that it can stream and playback media content from a server.
It is desirable for users of such advanced control devices to not only control the functions of entertainment appliances and make use of onboard media rendering capabilities, but also to interface with the entertainment appliances such that media streamed to the control device, or contained locally on the control device may be played on the entertainment appliances. Accordingly, it is desired to provide a system for rendering media on one or more entertainment appliances using a control device and associated docking station which functions to both charge the control device, and provide an interface between the control device and entertainment appliance(s) for playback of media information.